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This file is intended to answer typical questions about Water toreduce traffic on alt.drugs. This FAQ is continually maintained; newinformation about Water should be mailed to "csk@eecs.nwu.edu".

1) What is Water?

Water, W, Hot Ice, Liquid Crystal... all these "street" terms refer tothe same substance, known chemically as H20. Water is a highly addictive andtoxic chemical, which in its natural state is completely odorless, tasteless,and clear.

2) Is Water dangerous?

Yes. A scientific survey recently concluded that every creature onearth contains Water, and almost every creature imbibes more during its life. Moreover, every animal that has ever ingested this substance has invariablytried to get more. Organisms unable to get more Water show signs ofwithdrawal, or "dehydration," and eventually die. Organisms that ingest moreWater inevitably die anyway. Aside from the biological considerations, remember that Water iscomposed of Hydrogen and Oxygen, which are used together as rocket fuel. Enough cannot be said about the volatile nature of this chemical.

3) Can I put Water in my bong?

Mixing drugs is never recommended, but if you must attempt this, notethe following:

-Water acts as a coolant and filter. You are likely to get larger, smoother hits than normal.

-Water may actually blend into the smoke, imparting its own qualities to the hit.

-Water may splash up and get in your mouth. Yuck.

4) A FOAF got some laced Water. How frequently does this happen?

Almost all Water contains some contaminants. Generally, since Waterhas no taste or odor, the presence of either of these may indicate foreignsubstances. Water is so strong, and so cheap to produce, that the story ofthe dealer who dusted his grass to make it salable doesn't really apply.

Preparation of Hydrogen Oxide (Water) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An Erlenmeyer flask is first filled with a few grams of zinc metal chips and is then fitted with a two hole rubber stopper. A thistle tube is introduced through one hole and pushed to a level where the end of the tube is just above the zinc chips. A rubber tube is introduced through the other hole and connected to a horizontal copper pipe filled with loose fitting chunk cupric oxide. The other end of the copper pipe is connected to a Liebig condenser mounted in a distilling fashion (open end pointing down) which is suspended above a capture beaker.

A bunsen flame is placed under the cupric oxide reaction pipe, and any kind of cold liquid is allowed to circulate through the condenser. (some would use cold tap Water, but I can not recommend that procedure here due to legalities involved.)

Sufficient quantities of concentrated sulfuric acid are then introduced through the thistle tube to completely cover the zinc chips to a level ABOVE the end of the thistle tube. Condensation will start to occur within the condenser and run out into the beaker. The crude product represents a technical grade of hydrogen oxide, suitable for recreational purposes.

The reaction sequence is as follows:

Zn + H2SO4 -> ZnSO4 + H2 H2 + CuO -> Cu + H2O

6) Is homebrewed "bathtub" Water as effective as "the real thing?"

In the author's opinion, "bathtub" Water ("slosh") will never be ableto compete with legendary types like Owsley, Naya, and Perrier, but there isof course a certain satisfaction in synthesizing your own.

7) What is 'kind' Water?

According to Peter McDermott:

There are actually two major kinds. 'Soft' Water and 'Hard' Water. The 'soft' Water does less damage (to kettles, pipes, etc.) but the hard Water is a better hit.

Some people argue that there is something called a 'gatevalve' syndrome, where some people who begin on the relatively harmless 'soft' Water are likely to escalate to the hard stuff. However, this isn't true of everybody. Personally, I've been drinking soft Water for years without ever trying anything harder.

8) Are there different types of Water?

Christopher K. Koenigsberg explains:

There are apparently variations in the chemical makeup of W sold in stores, so someone should look into this for the FAQ (W's still available over the counter, no prescription necessary, not yet regulated by the FDA, nor scheduled by the DEA, I guess? How much longer before they catch on? Maybe we should be more cautious and not talk about it so openly, before they start having congressional hearings or something?)

For example I've seen W labelled "Steam Distilled" but on the same shelf also seen W labelled "Drinking Water" and even "Spring Water", and a more expensive kind for Babies (yes they are even hooking innocent infants) and there may or may not be differences beyond just the labels and packaging. There are variations in the price even for the same kind of stuff, the local store brand is always the cheapest, regional "Artesian Wells" etc. are more expensive, and the imported kind is most expensive.

There are vending machines outside some grocery stores (hey! you don't even have to show an ID to prove your age!) which will disburse W either Distilled or for Drinking, into your own choice of unlabelled container (so you can pretend it's something else). And the Drinking kind supposedly has mineral additives. I don't know if this is Strychnine, among the additives, which maybe causes the cramps when you drink too much, too fast, or too cold.... but I hear that's just a myth.

CHRONIC EFFECTSOTHER HEALTH HAZARDSPRIMARY INFECTIONS OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) ARE USUALLY ASYMPTOMATICBUT IN RARE CASES, SUBSEQUENT INFECTIONS MAY CAUSE MONONUCLEOSIS-LIKEDISEASE. CMV CAN ALSO RESULT IN LATENT INFECTIONS AND HAS BEENIMPLICATED IN CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCER.

This is of course in mice and may not apply directly to humans. W can bevery dangerous, so play nice and be safe.

APPENDIX 1: Descriptions of Water 'trips' and usage

Kevin Jernigan, alt.drugs #85634:

I drank Water for the first time at a party last night, and it was great!!Some of my friends who do W told me about the experience earlier, but I nowrealize that it was beyond my wildest expectations. I was a little bit scared,at first, because I heard about some of the bad side effects that it can cause.A few people said they choked on it, and one guy said that he dribbled it all over his clothes and got them wet. Luckily, none of these things happened to me. They started passing glasses around to everyone and I decided to take one The Water was very clear in color. They said it was scored from a guy who gotit from a spring in Canada. I don't know whether it was really Canadian Water, but it was definitely good quality, judging by the color. I usedabout 500g of it. When I put the glass up to my mouth, and swallowed, thefirst sensation I felt was of something wet traveling down my throat. This sensation started before I had even removed the glass from my mouth. I wasable to acheive the same feeling again, by taking another swallow. As the trip progressed, I noticed several other things. The W produced a state ofmind that I believe could best be described as a lack of thirst. The tripdidn't last for very long, but I think that it would be safe to say thatthe experience gave me some important insights into my consciousness. Chief among these, is the realization that Water can relieve thirst.

Ray Mialki, email contribution:

Although I don't partake, some of my neighbours down quite a bit of thestuff, filling swimming pools and such. I use it in great moderation,not even having an outside hose spigot to wash the car with. Dailyshowers seem to be my habitual use.

Peter McDermott, alt.drugs #unknown:

A recent major survey (n=1) has showed that Water addiction runs in families.At present, NIDA funded scientists are working flat out on the genesis ofthis crippling condition.

Unlike other addictions, W abuse is believed to affect all sections of society,rich and poor alike. However, scientists have discovered that a gene may wellbe responsible for a predisposition to drinking W.

Although 12 step 'W' recovery programmes have been around for some timenow, major cities have begun to witness a growth in self-help programs forAdult Children of Waterholics. "Henry" is a member of such a group.

"Well, I've just got so much rage about this, y'know? I was never able to confront them about it at the time. I thought that drinking Water was normal.

Now I'm angry. Ours is a sick culture. The French would never dream of exposing their children to 'W' at dinner. There, the kids go from breast milk to wine. But every single day, there it was, sitting at the dinner table in front of me. Of course, they wouldn't let me have any, but after watching them do it, I saw where they got it from. I began sneaking to the tap, and taking a sip. Before I knew where I was I was into the hard stuff - you know, Water sports. Baths, showers, stuff like that.

Well, eventually, I hit bottom. I out in town and the craving came on me and I found myself licking it up from puddles. Then it was toilet bowls. There are no wells too deep for the 'W' addict. So I went and got help. I've been in recovery for like.. 3 days now, but I wasn't making any progress. Then my therapist told me about A CoW and since then, it's been nothing but milk. And not mother's milk either..."

However, not everybody accepts that 'W' use is a problem. 'Mary' has beenusing 'W' for a month now. She feels that the dangers of 'W' have beenmuch exaggerated.

"It's all propaganda, isn't it? I've been doing 'W' for ages now, and it's just a bit of a buzz, innit. It's harmless man. There isn't a single study that *proves* 'W" has any effect on the bladder, and as for people who say it makes you piss. Well, they are just dirty minded. As I said, I've been doing 'W' for a month, and I've never had a piss, ever.

We've started a pressure group called 'Fair Play for Water' and it's our aim to force the government to tell the truth about 'W'. If there are risks, tell us what they are, and how we can minimize them. Prohibition doesn't work. The government knows that. Why else would they have repealed the laws against heroin and cocaine? Unfortunately, there are political careers to be made out of that issue. Vote Libertarian. Privatise the Water companies. Stop all government regulation of Water now!!!!

APPENDIX 2: Street Prices, June 4, 1993

Chicago, IL, North Shore Area -Typical Naya, $1 US per liter.

Springdale Township, Pennsylvania $5 per 1000 gallons.

APPENDIX 3: International Legality Update

In Europe W is becoming something of a threat real fast. I myself have witnessed tourists trying to score W desperately the last couple of hot days here this week. As of yet there is no shortage of W, but I've heard that in Greece it's getting scary. The police are starting to recognise this situation and have called for more forces on the street, weeding out W-pushers and sentencing them to severe punishments straight away!